The real stories from inside the F1 paddock

To the beach!

Well, folks, the time has come for the summer break. It’s been a busy year but with nothing much happening in F1 until the clans gather again in Spa on August 21, I am shutting down the blog.

It is a good moment to say “thank you” to my readers. Writing a blog is not always an easy thing because you need motivation and it is the passion of the fans that motivates me. I’d love that passion to be translated into readership of GP+ because it’s a win-win for everybody. You get the fastest e-magazine in the sport for a pittance. At £29.99 for the calendar year, it’s an astonishing bargain and if even half the blog readers signed up, my life would change dramatically. Money buys time and I’d have the time to write more on the blog. The magazine too would be much improved, because we would have the money to do greater things. You get 21 magazines in the course of the 12-month period from January to December for the price of a dull dinner for one… Give it a try. To sign up all you have to do is to go to www.grandprixplus.com

You can spend the summer break catching up with the F1 action so far this year, not to mention our eclectic feature articles and columns. And, of course the great photography.

If you have done that already, I suggest you try “The Grand Prix Saboteurs”. It is the true story of three Grand Prix drivers who became British secret agents, operating in France during the German Occupation in World War II. It is hard to believe that such a story could be true, but it is! If you are in Europe, buy it here. If you are in the US, click here.

If that does not float you boat, I have also written a rollicking tale of a young man who ran away to sea in the 1890s and went on to have the most extraordinary life on the ocean waves. It has got nothing to do with motor sport, but they say that a change is as good as a rest. It is called “The Man Who Caught Crippen” and if you are in the UK who you can buy it here. If you are in the US or Canada, try here.

Check out the reviews!

When I get back I am probably going to start work another book (or two) for the Christmas period, if I can find the time to get it sorted out while rushing around the world between Grands Prix – not to mention keeping this blog going on a duly basis.

A word or two about Grand Prix +, the race reports so soon after the chequered flag has fallen are great but the real joy for me is the historical articles. They have fuelled an interest in the early racing years from the road races to all forms that existed before I was 1st taken to Goodwood and Brands Hatch to watch Jim Clark and other F1 stars in all sorts of cars.

Hope you have a relaxing break.
GP+ is brilliant – recommended.
Any chance of publishing the books in Kindle form – please?
On a separate subject – Gary Hartstein has started a petition about helmet safety which is worth signing. See http://formerf1doc.wordpress.com/

Fellow blog readers, GP+ is well worth the money. It is everything Joe says it is. The historical articles are fascinating. The F1 coverage is great and you even get to keep an eye on the feeder series. Thanks Joe and happy holidays

Joe, I wish you’ll enjoy the cape and cod and lobster at least as much as I enjoyed The GP Saboteurs – immensely.
By the way, I was not aware how infamous Crippen must have been in Britain until I found him mentioned in George Orwell’s novel Coming up for Air.

I think you’re missing out on a component of your pitch, Joe. It is as it is, that the turgid trash tittilators will try to triumph with twaddle over talent in absence of your transmissions, but surely, time to throw temptation to the temporarily tormented and turn them to trial less timid, thine true trackside tribute?

If my alliteration has not appalled already, I believe it is appropriate to apply assiduously against accidental aversion of audience attention.

Too much strong coffee…

But it’s such a hiatus which rather calls for chucking some chum into the waters, whilst you’re away. My immediate thought is a holiday “pass”, fifty articles form the archive for a fiver, valid during the break, no downloading, no bulk grabs, no printing. Off to kick myself, possibly unfairly now, that spot is getting sore, for my failed follow through, or rather do something for a change. I’m sticking to my “excuse” that wordpress sucks rocks, however…

Even linking some of the bigger stories from the blog, might be worth the effort, especially older ones, if contemporaneously relevant, because blogs never seem to get any easier to navigate, and there’s plenty of remark.

Have a great break Joe, and a proper rest, best wishes from me to you & yours! ~ john

Hey Joe I’ve heard Cape Cod is a nice place for some quality R&R from a cousin of mine who lives in jersey ,
Just wondering , If I sign up now for GP+ will i be able to access the older editions from the Archive?
Thanks and enjoy your summer break

Anyone not subscribed to GP+ I can heartily recommend it. If like me you spend all week looking forward to the Quali and then the race you’ll recognise the slightly empty feeling once the race is run and you realise there’s a two week gap until more option. Well if you subscribe then that gap is only a few hours until your next dose. Race ends at about 4. Cold beer, then dinner then settle down for a good read before, or even in, bed. It stretches out the race weekend experience by a few hours. Result!

Have a great break Joe, although the flight must be a bit like a busman’s holiday when viewed against the Globetrotter airmiles you must rack up in a year!
We don’t always see eye to eye, but this is by far the best motorsport blog I have encountered, and I’ve been reading your race reports & travelogues for 30 years or so. As some one who spent their boyhood and youth, on a diet of DSJ,Taylor, Doodson, Henry,Lyons & Roebuck, all great writers, I have always included you in that group…along with Simon Arron, as writers who get past the egos and the vanity, and tell the real stories, ones that one can read and rely on to be accurate and enjoyable. All of you also cut through the pomposity of some people in the sport, and you also have an eye for the chancers and spivs, and know who they are, before we all work it out ourselves!

Enjoy your holidays,
but your timing may be bit premature as the biggest F1 news may happen next week,
i.e. will Bernie get off scot-free (never mind the odd $100m…) !
We may have to rely on the despised internet hacks to get the full SP…..
Regards,
“Martin”

Yes it seems that my view from some time ago, is correct. I rather wondered if all the people who thought Bernard would go quietly into the night, were being realistic? The Bolt has a track record that stands comparison with the best political brains of the last 100 years at least. The prospect of him being convicted of a parking offence was more likely than of the alleged bribery. Next step…..Bernie buys back F1…..you heard it here first!

$100 million and one million of it goes to a childrens home / hospital. Looks like he lives to fight another day. He also isn’t announced as guilty or innocent. So, the madness at the top continues unabated ?

Joe, don’t you dare log on and comment about Bernie’s settlement. You are on a well deserved holiday. We miss you but can wait upon your return for your views.
In the meantime I’ve got GP saboteurs to savour.
Thanks

Joe, Off subject but I had to comment, my facebook is awash with people commenting about Bernie E who know nothing about f1 and have never commented on it before, Re…. “Accused of making a £26 million bribe so he gets the case cancelled by paying £44 million. Oh, the irony.”

and “BBC News “Bernie Ecclestone pays a German court £60 million to escape bribery charges”. Am I the only one who finds this seriously ironic!?”

Joe, Thanks a lot for the “Thank you”. Your blog has been my main source of F1 info for the past couple of years. Not because it’s free, not because you live a stone’s throw away from my alma mater, but because it’s accurate, well informed, both pertinent and impertinent (hard features to achieve), and always fresh. I actually subscribed this year to GP+ as a thank you to your efforts, even though I knew I would barely have the time to read half of its content ( especially when there’s back-to-back races). One of the best decisions I’ve made! It’s thoroughly entertaining and informative. I would recommend it to any reader of this blog.

I read about it. Didn’t see the footage. I don’t believe that any driver deliberately runs over another. Maybe it was a game of intimidation. Whatever, a man is dead and that is terrible. What the guy did was not smart but I am sure that the incident will weigh on Stewart.